Crude Oil Shipments By Rail Up 83 Percent

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The number of carloads of crude oil U.S. railroads delivered last year surged 83 percent over 2012 as concerns about the shipments grow.

The Association of American Railroads said Thursday the major U.S. railroads delivered 434,042 carloads of crude oil in 2013.

That's well above the 236,556 carloads of crude oil railroads delivered in 2012. Crude oil shipments remain a relatively small part of rail traffic, but they have grown significantly since 2008 when 9,344 carloads were delivered.

Three fiery derailments involving crude oil in the past year led to increased concerns about the shipments even though railroads' overall safety record remains good. The worst of those killed 47 people in Lac-Megantic, Quebec.

Federal regulators are also considering requiring upgrades to the tank cars railroads use.